


If You Can't Handle the Heat...

by emperorpenguin (dortmundbvbbabe)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Chefs, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Keith Tkachuk's A+ Parenting, M/M, minor work-related injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dortmundbvbbabe/pseuds/emperorpenguin
Summary: Connor and Leon are chefs at The Oiler, one of Edmonton's best restaurants, which has seen more success in previous years, when Matthew Tkachuk, a hot-shot chef with a pedigree comes and joins their kitchen. After early clashes between Leon and Matthew, they are paired up to garner more attention for the restaurant and sparks fly between the two of them.
Relationships: Leon Draisaitl/Matthew Tkachuk
Comments: 56
Kudos: 182





	1. Chapter 1

Leon liked to arrive for work an hour before prep actually started, to make sure everything was in order. It was meditative, the way he methodically got ready for the shift, ensuring that the delivery was correct, making sure that all the pots and pans were in their rightful spots, and unpacking his knives on the metallic counter. 

He started on prepping the potatoes. Connor had told him that he didn’t need to peel them any more, that’s what some of the chefs early in their careers were there for, but Leon grabbed a few, set them in a bowl to wash off the dirt and earthy residue before peeling it. 

It was therapeutic in a way, peeling off the grimy layers of skin to reveal the golden potato that would eventually turn into a fondant potato. It was cathartic for him, in the same way that some people did yoga, Leon found himself at ease in the kitchen. Connor had pulled him aside and told him he didn’t  _ need _ to do this and Leon knew that, but he didn’t mind anyways. The real prep work would start later on, when more people came in and the urgency was felt to get ready for service. 

He heard the back door open with the jangle of a key ring and didn’t have to look to see that Connor had arrived. He was the only person who arrived almost as early as Leon did. “Hey Connor,” Leon said as he fished another potato out of the water to peel. 

“Hey,” Connor said almost breathlessly and he slapped a magazine down in front of Leon. _ The Albertan _ . On the cover was Matthew Tkachuk, the man that had gotten under Leon’s skin at a Food Network competition they’d both been at and had humiliated him. Alberta’s Next Top Chef: Matthew Tkachuk. It was a prestigious award, one that Connor had won several years ago when he first took over as head chef of The Oiler. 

“Why are you showing this to me?” Leon asked, scowling at the cocky way that Matthew had posed for the cover. His arms were crossed and there was a smirk on his face. Who did he think he was? Gordon Ramsey?

“He starts next week,” Connor said much to Leon’s surprise.

“What?” Leon spat out, “You’re supposed to consult me about hiring anyone for the kitchen.”

“Consider this the consultation,” Connor said, leaving no room for any discussion or argument.

“You know he’s just using us as a stepping stone for his career,” Leon said, “He’ll be here for a six, nine month stint, whatever and then get some job offer that he likes more and he’ll leave us back at square one.”

“You stayed,” Connor said. 

“Don’t compare the two of us,” Leon said, “Besides he already has Blue on his resume, why does he want to come here?”

“Look, we’ve talked,” Connor said, “And there’s more to this than you know or that I can tell you, but he wants to be here, he’s assured me of that. He’s even willing to take a pay cut.”

“Well, since this has already been decided, I’m pretty sure When he leaves and we’re hiring for his position to be filled, I’ll be able to tell you I told you so.”

“I think he’ll surprise you, besides getting him will be good press for us and grow our customer base,” Connor explained. Connor didn’t need to tell him that The Oiler needed the boost in business. He’d been able to hide his concern from some of the other chefs, especially the newer ones to keep morale up, but it didn’t escape Leon that Connor was spending more time out in the dining room, greeting customers than usual. Connor had also been in the news more lately, doing a segment on the morning news about fall salads and doing interviews for the Edmonton paper. It was the unspoken truth about the state the restaurant was in, something that surprised Leon because they always received positive reviews and Connor had been a mainstay in the Edmonton food scene for the past five years. He was pretty sure that played a role in getting Matthew Tkachuk to come. 

“Do you really want that kind of ego in your kitchen?” Leon said in a last ditch attempt at stalling this. He’d seen first hand how unbearable Matthew had been when they’d competed against each other at the Food Network and that had only been for a few days. He couldn’t imagine working alongside Matthew for the next several months or however long it lasted. 

“He wants to work here,” Connor repeated, “Besides he’s Michelin starred.” 

Leon rolled his eyes. To state that Matthew had been awarded a Michelin star was a stretch. He worked at a Michelin starred restaurant because his father was the head chef there, “Keith Tkachuk is Michelin starred.”

“Keith Tkachuk is an asshole,” Connor said. 

“And you think his son won’t be?” Leon asked. 

“I think we should all give him a chance,” Connor said. Leon already had and even though he hadn’t had much contact with Keith Tkachuk, based on Connor’s dislike for the man and what he’d seen of Matthew, he was pretty sure that the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. 

Matthew arrived the next week just as Connor said, entering the restaurant just a few minutes before the family meal.

Gio almost tossed him out, thinking that he was a misplaced customer, until Connor saw him arrive and waved him over. He welcomed him to the table where Connor and Leon sat, much to Leon's chagrin. 

“Hello,” Leon said politely.

“Good to see you again,” Matthew said. 

“You as well,” Leon said tersely. 

“Introduce yourself,” Jujhar, their pastry chef, yelled from one of the back tables.

“I’m Matthew Tkachuk, I’ve most recently worked at Blue in St. Louis, which has one Michelin star, I’ve been on the Food Network a couple of times, most recently against Leon this past year. I’ve very excited to be here and learn from you all and I hope I can teach you a few things too,” Matthew said.

“His father is Keith Tkachuk,” Leon said as if that explained everything. And that didn’t explain everything, but it certainly explained a lot of things. 

“That too,” Matthew said with a pained smile, and Leon didn’t really know what that meant.

“Who won?” Kailer asked, “At the Food Network?” And Kailer was too new to have witnessed 

“I did,” Matthew said with a grin and Leon’s jaw just clenched tightly. 

Connor jabbed an elbow into his side in a warning.

“Yup, he certainly did,” Leon said bitterly. There was a silence that hung over the room as Kailer realized he seemed to have stepped on a minefield. 

“So, Matthew will be joining us as our saucier, he has an impressive resume and we’re very lucky to have him. He’ll be joining us in the kitchen to understand the flow of service and help out with prep work for the next couple of days, but his first full service will be next week.”

They went around the room introducing themselves to Matthew with their names, positions, and how long they’d been working at The Oiler. 

After they’d gone around the room, Matthew stared pointedly at Leon waiting for an introduction. “I’m Leon Draisaitl, I’ve been the sous chef here for the past four years.”

Matthew grabbed one of the salt shakers from on the table and for a moment everyone turned to stare at him as he hovered over the plate, right above the chicken breast that Leon had meticulously seasoned this morning. 

“I made the chicken,” Leon said.

“Oh,” Matthew said, “Okay.” He added a bit of salt onto his plate, more than a sprinkling.

“Was it not to your liking?” Leon asked.

Matthew shrugged, “It could have used a little more salt.”

“Maybe you need to improve your palate,” Leon said.

“Maybe you shouldn’t take things so personally,” Matthew retorted.

Leon glanced over to Connor, as if to plead his case, but Connor just ignored him, “Thank you for the delicious meal, everyone, let’s have a great service tonight.”

“Are you always this early?” Matthew asked as he saw Leon already having cleaned several dozen potatoes by the time he arrived. Matthew was still earlier than everyone else, much to Leon's surprise and satisfaction.

“I’m German,” Leon said as if that explained everything, “if you’re on time you’re late.”

“So if you’re an hour early?” Matthew asked.

“You’re early,” Leon said, “But sometimes it’s nice to be alone in the kitchen.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve done prep work,” Matthew admitted as he picked up a carrot and started scraping off the peel. “Does everyone do it here?” he asked.

“Yeah, everyone but Connor,” Leon said, “But he’s on the business end of things during the day so he’s absolved. Everyone else, though, is involved with the prep.”

“Why?” Matthew asked.

“Because we don’t have enough people to just do prep,” Leon said, “and it eliminates a hierarchy among chefs. I mean sure I’m the sous chef, but I’m not above peeling potatoes or making stocks because of my current position. I’m not above doing prep work and neither are you.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Matthew said, “It’s just not a common practice.”

“It might be untraditional, but I think that’s part of the reason we have a tight crew,” Leon said, “Connor and I would never ask someone to do something that we ourselves wouldn’t do. Everyone knows it and we get to know each other better when we spend hours doing prep work.”

Matthew nodded as if he understood. 

“Did I do something?” Matthew asked, “To piss you off?”

“I don’t know you,” Leon said. 

“I know which is why I really haven’t done anything to piss you off,” Matthew said.

“Why are you here?” Leon asked. 

“What?” Matthew asked, taken aback. 

“You said it yourself, you worked at a Michelin starred restaurant, you have an impressive resume and you made sure that everyone knows it so I’m honestly not sure what you’re doing at The Oiler.”

“I didn’t say that to brag,” Matthew said, “He asked me to introduce myself.”

“Right, and I learned nothing about you other than the fact that you can read off your resume to make sure everyone knew where you stood in this kitchen,” Leon said, “I personally don’t give a shit that you worked at Blue or that you won on the Food Network. I know guys like you and they don’t last long here, just long enough to get Connor’s approval and recommendation and then head to the French Laundry or wherever is the next stepping stone in their career path and we’re back to square one.” 

“You know, I came here for you,” Matthew said, “At least in part.”

“No, you didn’t,” Leon rolled his eyes. He was used to seeing new employees side up with Connor and flatter him. It was one thing to be in awe of Connor’s skills and knowledge, Leon even found himself caught up in Connor’s, well, genius when he would craft new recipes to add to their menu. Over the years, as Connor gave him more responsibility and more trust, Leon was used to more flattery turned towards him from the newer cooks as if he was the way to get to Connor. 

“You came for Connor,” Leon said, “or to add this to your resume, or both. Please don’t take me for an idiot, Matthew.”

“Don’t you remember, when we met at the Food Network competition?” Matthew asked and Leon’s hands clenched instinctively. 

“You don’t need to remind me,” Leon said and scoffed. He’d replayed Matthew’s words over in his mind, clearly remembering how Matthew had poked fun at him when he’d been unable to get a properly crisped duck skin and rendered fat on the competition, “You made fun of me after I fucked up the duck.” 

“I didn’t mean it, at least not like that. Maybe I got a little carried away in teasing and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I thought you were incredible,” Matthew said, “Really, your modern German take on the duck was borderline genius, and, yeah, maybe it didn’t end up the way you intended, but I thought you cooked with such passion and inspiration that I wanted to work with you."

“And what was the other part?”

“What?” Matthew asked.

“You said part of the reason was for me. What was the other part?”

“I’ll keep that to myself, if that’s okay,” Matthew said. “But I’m here to stay,” Matthew promised, “and I would like it if you gave me a chance.”

“There’s some more carrots in the walk-in if you want to grab them,” Leon said. 

"Sure," Matthew said as he headed into the back, and Leon wondered if Matthew really wasn't as bad as he thought. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Smile!” 

Leon rolled his eyes as Johnny made Matthew pose for a photo, “Can you look a little more excited to be here?” Johnny asked.

Leon snickered as Matthew’s grin widened in the sort of camera-ready smile that looked so fake and artificial.

“That’s going on our Instagram page,” Johnny said after he examined the photo and was satisfied.

“Get ready for weeks of this,” Leon said under his breath, “You’re new blood and he’s looking for anything to spice up our Instagram page. He’ll hound you until he realizes that you’re just as boring as the rest of us.”

“Maybe he’ll realize I’m actually more exciting than all of you,” 

“Maybe,” Leon said, “But that just means you’ll get roped into more of his side projects and have to stay afterwards.”

“Is that how you got out of it?” Matthew asked.

Leon snorted, “I threatened to go on a family meal strike and I make his favorite foods.”

“The horror,” Matthew said and it almost felt like he was teasing. 

“He certainly thought so,” Leon said. 

“It’s important to you, isn’t it? Family meal?”

“I forgot what it was like to eat everyday with people who care about you,” Leon said, “It’s the one time we can all just be with each other and not worry about work so I try and make sure it is perfect.”

“Back when you didn’t like me,” Matthew said. 

“Oh, I still don’t,” Leon said, “But family meal is sacred.”

“Maybe I can help,” Matthew said.

“But you have to bring your own recipes, not rehash things that we already cook here,” Leon said.

“Oh, that’s not a problem,” Matthew replied, “I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“Maybe in a couple of weeks then,” Leon said. 

“Leon, you’re running the service tonight,” Connor said after family meal had wrapped up and the plates had all been taken back to be cleaned.

“Where are you going to be?” Leon asked. 

“I have a meeting,” Connor said.

“Would you like to clue me in on what it’s about?” Leon asked.

Connor glanced around and when he saw that nobody was nearby he leaned over, “I might have a big investor lined up.”

“How big are we talking about?” Leon asked.

“Enough that we won’t have to worry anymore,” Connor said. 

“Okay, yeah, I have it covered here,” Leon said. 

“Thanks,” Connor said, “and keep an eye on Matthew, okay?”

“He’ll do fine,” Leon said, and even though he didn’t like the guy, he knew it was true. Coming from Blue, Matthew was used to a high pressure environment, and if the rumors about Keith Tkachuk as a chef were true, he was ruthless. If Matthew had spent time there, he certainly could make it at The Oiler.

“Did you have any questions about the menu?” Leon asked as Matthew flipped through the recipes again. 

“No,” Matthew said, “It all makes sense.”

“So you’ll be ready for service tonight?” Leon asked.

“This isn’t my first time in a kitchen,” Matthew said. 

“It’s the first time in my kitchen,” Leon said. 

“I thought I was in Connor’s kitchen,” Matthew replied.

“It’s my kitchen when Connor’s away,” Leon said.

“Yes, chef!” Matthew said with a spiteful glimmer in his eye, “Anything else I should know?”

“I like a quiet, clean kitchen, leave your ego at the door,” Leon said, “We’ll get through this just fine.”

“Sure,” Matthew said. 

“Okay, then,” Leon said, “let’s have a good shift.”

Right before the first tickets came in, Leon fired off a reassuring message to Connor and stood at the front of the kitchen, “All right everybody, it’s Matthew’s first service tonight with us, so let’s make it a good one. Jujhar, keep up the beautiful plating on your desserts, Oskar, let’s make sure everything is perfectly seasoned, and let’s have a fun time, okay?”

A chorus of yeses followed and the morale in the kitchen was up as the first tickets rolled in. 

“Table 12 one prosciutto melon salad and one ribeye medium rare,” Leon called off. He glanced over to Matthew and watched as he grabbed a saucepan to prepare the warmed dressing for the salad. 

They were about forty minutes into dinner service and they’d started to hit their stride. Matthew handed over his lemon sauce for the salmon Leon was getting ready to plate. He took a tasting spoon out of the caddy and sampled it.

“Matthew,” Leon said. Matthew’s head sprung up and there was the faintest hit of uncertainty and anxiety that seemed misplaced, “that’s a very nice lemon sauce.”

Matthew beamed at the praise, “Thank you.”

“Keep it up,” Leon said. 

“Yes, chef,” Matthew replied.

They made it through dinner service with just a few items having been returned to the kitchen so Leon considered it a win. “Nice job today,” Leon said, “Let’s clean up and get back at it tomorrow.”

They hurriedly wiped down their stations as dishes were being brought back to the industrial dishwashers and being cleaned. 

“Good first service,” Leon whispered to Matthew as he approached his station. 

Matthew beamed at the praise as if it was foreign. 

Leon reconvened with Gio at the front of the house as he finished up counting the till. “Any problems I should know about?” Leon asked.

“Nothing that wasn’t fixed with a complimentary bottle of wine,” Gio said with an eye roll. 

“Thanks for taking care of it,” Leon said, “Wrap things up and I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Leon did a once over of the office and made sure that everything was set up for Connor when he arrived the next day. 

“What are you still doing here?” Leon asked.

“Am I not allowed to be?” Matthew asked uncertainly. 

“I mean sure,” Leon said, “But everyone else is gone, I’m going home.”

“Practice is how you get better,” Matthew said, “The only way to improve is by working harder, not going home and putting in the bare minimum.”

“If you think anyone who went home after they put in a full shift is doing the ‘bare minimum’ you’re arrogantly mistaken,” Leon snapped, “Oskar had one of the best shifts of his career, Jujhar’s plating alone has gathered us an Instagram following. Everyone contributes in their own way, everyone develops at their own speed. You’re a talented chef, but you’re not going to get very far if you look down on people who haven’t shared your background.”

“I didn’t mean-”

“Matthew, go home,” Leon said, leaving no room for arguing, “go home and get some sleep.”

“How did Matthew do yesterday?” Connor asked.

“Good,” Leon said. 

“What is it?” Connor asked.

“Nothing,” Leon said. 

“Tell me,” Connor said. 

“I just don’t like the guy,” Leon said, “he has an attitude that we don’t need.” 

“Did something happen?” Connor asked.

“Yeah,” Leon said. He begrudgingly recounted the conversation with Matthew after service about how you don’t improve by doing the bare minimum and how insulting that had been to the other chefs and himself who had had a great service overall.

“I don’t know that Matthew was talking about anyone here,” Connor said.

“What else did that mean?” Leon asked.

“I think he was talking about himself,” Connor said, “Here, read this.”

Connor handed his phone over to Leon. There was an article from the St. Louis Chronicle that had been bookmarked on his phone. 

“Former chef at Blue comes out against Keith Tkachuk; working conditions”

“Matthew’s just like him,” Leon said as he skimmed the article.

“Or he’s a product of that environment,” Connor said, “Remember Keith Tkachuk was not only his boss, he was also his father and growing up in an environment like that for twenty years doesn’t leave you unscathed.”

“You’re giving him the benefit of the doubt,” Leon said.

“Yes, but if I am wrong, I will deal with it,” Connor said. 

“I do think you’re wrong,” Leon said. 

“Can we talk?” Matthew asked the next day as they were all in the middle of prep. 

Leon nodded and led Matthew back to the walk-in fridge. Connor looked on approvingly, hoping that they could iron out any wrinkles that 

“What?” Leon crossed his arms both to warm himself up and to show how irritated he was.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Matthew said.

“What exactly about?” Leon asked.

“I didn’t mean it like you thought I meant it. I wasn’t talking about anyone here, they all did a fantastic job, if anyone did a poor job it was me,” Matthew said.

“You had a good service,” Leon said. 

“I could have done better,” Matthew said, “I know I could have been faster bringing things to the pass, and some of the sauces weren’t the consistency that I wanted.” 

“Okay,” Leon said.

“I just, I need to be better than I am,” Matthew said. 

“You were the only one with a problem yesterday,” Leon said.

“I’ve just, I’ve been in kitchens where I would have been berated for that,” Matthew said and Leon immediately recalled the article about Blue that Connor had shown him the day before.

“Look, Matthew, you’re going to have bad shifts here. Connor and I, we’re not like that, it’s not useful or practical to compare yourself to others or some unattainable bar that’s set so high that you’re bound to fail. We want you to grow and develop, we want all of our chefs to do that, but that doesn’t happen overnight and it certainly doesn’t happen if you work yourself to the bone. Okay?” Leon said, “But I certainly don’t appreciate the type of talk that we had yesterday, not about other chefs and not about yourself either, okay?”

“I just really like it here,” Matthew said.

“You’re doing just fine,” Leon reassured him.

“You were right,” Leon said after enduring Connor’s curious glances after they both walked out of the walk-in fridge.

“Do you want to say that again? Can I get that recorded?” Connor asked.

“Never,” Leon said, “But if you are right, and he is a product of that environment, then we might have bigger problems. Because nobody walks away from that unscathed.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Can you try this?” Matthew asked as he waved a fork over to Leon. Leon looked warily at the container that Matthew had brought from home, clearly something that he’d cooked up in his own time.

“What’s this?” Leon asked.

“I made carnitas yesterday,” Matthew said. 

Leon eyed up the pork and took a bite. It was good, but he’d had better.

“It’s a little dry, maybe five minutes overcooked. The flavor’s good though,” Leon said.

“Damn it,” Matthew swore.

“You can probably salvage this if you turn it into tacos, add some crema and avocado and it will hide the meat a little.”

Matthew sighed, “I wanted to take you up on the offer to make a family meal sometime.”

“Sure,” Leon said, “but make things easy on yourself too because you’ll still have to cook a full service afterwards.”

“I just, I want it to be good,” Matthew said. 

“Well, cook what you want to cook,” Leon said. 

“I don’t know what that is,” Matthew said shyly and embarrassed. If Leon didn’t know better, he would have thought that Matthew was being sullen and petulant, but based on what he knew about Keith Tkachuk and the article that had kept him awake at night, Leon was pretty sure that Matthew didn’t know how to love cooking anymore. The memories that Leon had held so fondly about watching his mother cook, even though she wasn’t the best, had provided inspiration for his culinary journey. Food was something that symbolized family, that reminded him of coming home after school and eating dinner with his parents and sister. Baking always brought back memories of Christmas time with his grandmother and making cookies and even though his culinary abilities had developed since then, surpassing his family members skills in the process, he had those memories to inspire him. He was pretty sure that Matthew didn’t. 

“If you could cook anything in the world what would it be?” Leon asked.

“I don’t know, I guess whatever you and Connor tell me to make,” Matthew said.

Leon sighed. He knew they wouldn’t get anywhere with this conversation. 

“Are you free tomorrow morning?” Leon asked.

“Yeah,” Matthew said warily.

“Okay,” Leon said, “Come to my place.”

“Why?” Matthew asked. 

“You’ll see,” Leon replied, “Give me your phone.” He inserted his number into Matthew’s address book and texted himself, promising to send him his address for the morning, “What?” Leon asked as Matthew stared at him curiously when he got his phone back. 

“I don’t get it,” Matthew said.

Leon cocked his head, “Get what?” 

“After the other day...”

“And it’s in the past,” Leon said, “Look, maybe I was wrong about you, and maybe we got off on the wrong foot, but we all have our reasons to be here, I can’t really judge.”

“You don’t like me,” Matthew said.

“I don’t like some of the things you’ve done,” Leon agreed, “But it’s more complicated than that.”

“What does that mean?” Matthew asked.

“It means that you have your secrets and I have mine,” Leon said, “But you should come over tomorrow, as a truce.”

Leon had sent Matthew his address at the end of the shift and told him to get there around nine in the morning. Matthew still looked a little skeptical at the invitation and Leon wasn’t sure if Matthew was actually going to take him up on the offer, but at least the offer was there. 

Leon was a little surprised when Matthew did show up in the morning, looking a little unsure about all of this . 

“How long have you lived here?” Matthew asked.

“About three years now,” Leon said, “Why?”

Matthew shook his head, “Just wondering. So what am I doing here?”

“We’re cooking,” Leon said.

“Don’t we do that enough at work?” Matthew asked.

“Yeah, but we’re doing something different,” Leon said, “We’re cooking what I want.”

Leon pulled out his recipe notebook and flipped towards one of the earlier pages. “We’re making this,” Leon said.

Matthew squinted to decipher Leon’s scrawled handwriting. “Apple Strudel?”

“It’s not really traditional where I’m from, but I like it,” Leon said.

“What makes it different?” Matthew asked.

“Nothing,” Leon shrugged, “It’s just a good strudel.”

“What do you want me to do?” Matthew asked as he rolled up his sleeves. 

“You can start by slicing up the apples,” Leon said, pushing over a pile of apples and an empty bowl over to Matthew’s station. “Have you ever made it before?”

Matthew shook his head. 

“I’m not a big pastry guy,” he admitted.

“Jujhar’s is better,” Leon said, “But there’s something cathartic about it. After rough services or if I haven’t actually cooked things in a while, like when Connor’s on vacation, I try to make this.” 

Leon worked on measuring out all of the ingredients for the dough, putting them in separate bowls to be later combined. 

It was methodical the way that they worked together, Matthew not needing much explanation or instruction. They didn’t talk much until the strudel was in the oven and then they just sat at the kitchen table, each with a cup of coffee in hand waiting for it to bake. 

“I really miss it,” Leon said, “Germany, I mean.”

“Why didn’t you go back?” Matthew asked.

“There didn’t seem to be a place to cook the type of food that I wanted to,” Leon said, “and maybe there was or maybe there was the possibility to carve out a place to cook that type of food, but by the time I realized that I’d already come to Canada, studied here, met Connor, and it just made more sense to stay.”

“What type of food would you want to cook?” Matthew asked.

“Modern German,” Leon replied without hesitation.

“I wish I knew all the answers to those questions,” Matthew said, and there was a pause when the timer dinged and Leon grabbed the warm strudel out of the oven for them to eat. 

“You’re a great cook,” Leon said, “really, but you’re not passionate about it anymore.”

“So I should cook a strudel?” Matthew asked, “Rediscover my passion that way?”

Leon rolled his eyes, “I cook strudel or currywurst or things that remind me of home because that’s where I learned to love cooking. I don’t know what it is for you?”

“I don’t know what it is either,” Matthew said, “Sometimes I wonder if I ever even liked it or if I was just predestined into this job, you know.” He took a bite of the strudel pensively. 

“Maybe that’s something you can figure out,” Leon said, “like cooking something that reminds you of someone that you care about. That’s part of the reason that I like cooking family meal.”

“Maybe,” Matthew said, “this is really good, though.”

“Like I said, Jujhar’s is better,” Leon said, “But I’m pretty sure I’d have my citizenship revoked if I couldn’t at least make a decent strudel.”

“Well you definitely get to keep your citizenship,” Matthew said as he finished off his piece of strudel.

“Thanks,” Matthew said as he stood up to leave. 

“You helped make it,” Leon said, “I wasn’t going to not let you eat it.”

“Thanks, for this, I mean,” Matthew said with a faint hint of a blush. 

“You’re welcome, I’ll see you later for service,” Leon said. 

They were working on prepping for the service, listening to music and bearing Oskar's off-key humming when Connor walked into the kitchen in one of his business suits. Following behind him was a man who Leon vaguely recognized. 

“Hello,” Connor said, “this is Peter Chiarelli, he’s here to look at the restaurant and he wanted to see inside the kitchen and meet some of you.”

Leon could tell that the introduction piqued the interest and curiosity of some of the chefs, but they were too polite to ask exactly who Peter Chiarelli was. Based on what Connor had hinted at earlier though, Leon couldn’t help but wonder if Peter was the donor that Connor was courting. 

“Hello,” Leon said after Connor introduced him and they shook hands. 

“It’s nice to meet you, I’ve had the pleasure of dining here several times,” Peter said. 

“I hope you can dine with us again soon,” Leon said.

Connor took Peter around the kitchen, introducing him one by one to the staff and highlighting their specialities. Peter nodded politely, but it was difficult for Leon to get a read on him. He hid behind a poker face and from what Connor had said, they really needed this donor to come through.

“And this is our newest colleague,” Connor said, “Matthew Tkachuk.”

Matthew reached out and shook Peter’s hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Tkachuk. As in Keith Tkachuk?” Peter asked.

Matthew nodded, although Leon noticed the subtle way that Matthew stiffened at the name recognition.

“Your father is a phenomenal chef,” Peter said.

“Thank you,” Matthew said. 

“If you are a fraction of the chef that he is, Connor is very lucky to have gotten you on board.”

“I’m very lucky to be here,” Matthew said, “I’ve already learned so much from them.”

“I’m excited to see what you’ll accomplish,” Peter said, “I know we can expect big things from you.”

“Thank you,” Matthew said, trying to politely shrug off the accolades. 

Connor continued his introductions, but the reminder that Matthew was a Tkachuk and had the name recognition hung over the service even after Peter left the kitchen. 

Leon wanted to go over to Matthew and talk about it, but it wasn’t the time or the place. It was just unfortunate that Peter had heaped on praise to Matthew when he’d just been there for a few weeks.

“Alright, let’s have a great service,” Leon said. 

After they closed after a mediocre service, Leon walked past Connor’s office and saw Connor was still inside. 

He had a glass of bourbon in hand and stared off into space.

“Either it went really well or really poorly,” Leon said as he grabbed the bottle and poured himself a drink, sitting across from Connor and settling in for him to chat. 

“He said he wants to go in a different direction,” Connor said, “and that direction means not investing in The Oiler.”

“Fuck,” Leon swore in commiseration. 

“I don’t know what else to do,” Connor admitted and for the first time since Leon had heard rumors that The Oiler was in trouble, he wondered if they’d have to shutter the restaurant.

“Are you okay?” Matthew asked after Leon left Connor’s office ready to go home for the night.

Leon hadn’t even realized that Matthew was still there. He shrugged, “not really.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Matthew offered.

“Not really,” Leon sighed.

“Do you want to drink?” Matthew asked. 

“Kind of,” Leon said.

“There’s a bar nearby that doesn’t close for a while,” Matthew said.

“You’re coming?” Leon asked.

“It’s kind of fucking sad to drink alone,” Matthew said, “unless you don’t want me to.”

“Come on,” Leon said, “We both had shitty nights.”

"The first round's on me," Matthew said as he led the way to the local bar.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: there is a minor work-related injury that requires a trip to the hospital. Everyone is fine and it's very minor, but there are some mentions of blood/stitches.

The bar that Matthew took them to was dingy. It was the sort of place that you would walk past several times before noticing the set of stairs that led to the underground bar. 

Matthew seemed to be a regular there, having been recognized with an initial nod from the bartender. 

Matthew ordered them shots first, which wasn’t really Leon’s thing, but he was planning on getting drunk tonight 

“What would you do if you weren’t a chef?” Leon asked. 

“I don’t know,” Matthew said, “I never thought I had a choice.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I did it all wrong,” Leon said, “I focused on cooking and the restaurant too much,

“You can still get a girlfriend,” Matthew said conciliatorily. 

“I wouldn’t have a girlfriend anyways,” Leon said. 

Matthew’s eyebrows raised in recognition and Leon glared at him, daring him to say something, but Matthew didn’t. Instead he waved down the bartender and ordered them something stronger. 

“It never was really a thing for me either,” Matthew said, “A life outside of cooking always seemed like something that would happen eventually, so I didn’t need to focus on it.”

“You could have a wife waiting for you after work,” Leon said. 

“Or a husband,” Matthew admitted. 

“How does Keith feel about that?” Leon asked. It was probably too personal of a question, but here they were at two in the morning talking about things that were too personal for their relationship anyways.

“Keith doesn’t give a shit so long as it doesn’t interfere with cooking. A guy or a girl, it doesn’t matter so long as the restaurant comes first.”

“That sounds like it sucks,” Leon said.

“It does. But it’s the way his dad was and the way that he was and I guess the way that I’ll be,” Matthew said. 

“You don’t have to,” Leon said.

“I wouldn’t even know how to date someone,” Matthew said, “The lifestyle we have isn’t normal, missing dinners, returning home at three in the morning, waking up for prep, most people wouldn’t want to deal with that.”

“It’s not orthodox,” Leon said, “But there are plenty of guys who do it. You can too.”

“But the lifestyle on top of my  _ charming _ personality?” Matthew asked, “That might be too much for some people.

“You’re not as bad as you first seem,” Leon said.

Matthew turned to him and beamed, “See, I knew you liked me.”

“Me saying you’re not as annoying as you were at first does not mean that I like you.”

“You like me,” Matthew said, “you just hate being wrong.” 

And Leon rolled his eyes but took another sip of his drink. Matthew just rubbed his shoulder up against Leon’s as they continued to drink in comfortable conversation. 

“Well, I better try and find an Uber,” Leon lamented when he paid for his drinks. Standing up took a little bit of effort and he was well-past the point where he could be called tipsy.

“You can crash at my place,” Matthew offered.

“You sure?” Leon asked. 

“Yeah, it’s nearby, we’re both drunk, it’s fine,” Matthew said.

They struggled to make the quick trip back to Matthew’s place, though the chilly Edmonton air helped sober them up. 

Matthew fumbled with his keys and finally pushed open the door to let Leon in. 

“Welcome to my home,” Matthew said. Even in the dim light, Leon could tell that it was more modest than he’d expected. It was relatively spacious but austere as if it was barely lived in. There were few personal affects around the apartment, but it was tastefully decorated. 

“Do you want some water?” Matthew asked. 

“Sure, thanks,” Leon said, “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“You’re not that old,” Matthew said but poured himself a glass of water anyways.

“Thanks,” Leon said, as he took his water and Matthew just stared at him from across the table. “What?” Leon asked. 

“Can I?” Matthew asked as he approached Leon and before Leon realized it, Matthew was kissing him. The kiss took Leon off guard but instinctively, he wrapped an arm around his neck. And then realization dawned on him. He was kissing Matthew Tkachuk.

“Stop, stop,” Leon gently pushed Matthew away, “we can’t.”

“Why?” Matthew asked as he pulled away, “at the bar…”

“There are so many reasons, Matthew,” Leon said, “For one, we’re drunk.”

“Okay,” Matthew said, “So if we were sober?” 

Leon sighed, “Let’s just go to bed.”

“Sure,” Matthew said, looking deflated, “the guest bedroom is on your right.”

“Thanks,” Leon said. And even as he buried himself under the covers, Leon kept thinking about the kiss, how natural it had felt both at the bar and with the kiss and then Leon thought of all of the reasons why they shouldn’t do anything. For starters they were both drunk which explained why they shouldn’t do anything today, but Leon was Matthew’s superior at work, Matthew represented everything Leon hated about generational chefs, and they had just started getting along. Those should be reasons enough, but as sleep took over Leon wondered why the kiss had felt so good.

Matthew was already awake and in the kitchen when Leon woke up, feeling a little sheepish and embarrassed from last night.

“Hey,” Leon said. 

“Hi,” Matthew said coolly. 

“Um, thanks for last night,” Leon said, “It was nice to have company at the bar.” 

“Yeah,” Matthew said, “Shouldn’t you be getting home and ready for prep?” The dismissal in his voice was clear and for a moment, Leon wondered if he had just made up Matthew’s interest in him from the night before.

“Yeah, I guess,” Leon said, “Um, see you later, then, I guess.” 

Leon waited outside for his Uber to come, trying to ignore the way that Matthew’s coldness had stung. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Leon asked. Connor looked up from his office in concern at Leon’s tone. 

“Sure,” Connor said, “Is everything okay?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” Leon said. 

“Okay,” Connor leaned back and devoted his entire attention to Leon. 

“Matthew kissed me,” Leon said. 

“Fuck,” Connor swore, “do I need to write up an HR report?”

“No, no, it’s just I liked it,” Leon said.

“Okay…” Connor said and stared at Leon blankly, “So why are you telling me this? Not that I don’t want to hear, I’m your friend of course, but I don’t really see a problem.”

“I’m his boss here, and he’s two years younger than me, and we’re just starting to get along, there are so many reasons why we shouldn’t date or whatever,” Leon said. 

“Look, yes, you are technically his superior, but you’re not his boss,” Connor said, “I am. And I feel that you are both responsible enough that if you do want a relationship, we can keep things professional in the kitchen. For what it’s worth, I think you’d be good for each other.”

“You’re not helping things,” Leon said. 

“Oh and by the way, you and Matthew are going to be entering a competition,” Connor said as he slid over a brochure to Leon about some local cooking competition where the grand prize was $10,000.

“What?” Leon asked. 

“Yeah, you both will be competing for The Oiler,” Connor said, “This is the next best thing since Chiarelli backed out.”

“We don’t do well in competitions,” Leon said.

“You don’t do well in competitions when you are going against each other,” Connor said, “Besides, I heard that you two baked strudel the other day.”

“How?”

“I have my sources,” Connor said.

“You’re telling Matthew about the competition,” Leon said. 

Service was a shitshow as Matthew came in sullenly and got straight to prep work. It seemed that his sour mood from the morning had carried into work and Leon sighed. It just seemed to be more proof of why they shouldn’t pursue anything.

“Alright,” Leon sighed, “Let’s have a good service.” 

Except they didn’t have a good service. There was a tension in the kitchen that loomed over them which all came to a head when Gio returned with a plate of food that was untouched. Leon frowned at the returned plate. 

“The guest said that the bordelaise was broken,” Gio said as he returned the plate to the front. Leon looked over at the plate where the bordelaise was pooled under the steak. It looked fine to him.

“The sauce is fine,” Matthew said. 

“Make it again,” Leon replied.

“It was a perfect sauce,” Matthew complained. 

“Make it again,” Leon snapped. 

Matthew glared at him but focused his attention back onto the stove. 

Leon’s hopes for a good service had gone out the window and he just hoped to survive this service. 

“Shit,” Matthew yelped. The words stood out in a quiet kitchen like an alarm and Leon turned towards Matthew’s station where Matthew stood frozen. He held his hand up in shock, and immediately Leon realized that he’d been cut.

“Shit,” Leon swore. 

“Just give me a glove,” Matthew said, “I can continue working.” 

Leon dragged him to one of the handwashing stations and rinsed off the wound to get a better idea of how deep the cut was. 

“He’ll need stitches,” Leon said as he saw how deep the cut was. It wasn’t horrible, Leon had both seen and sustained worse cuts and burns, but he knew that it would need stitches. 

“Go,” Connor said, “take him to the emergency room.” Connor rattled off orders for how to rearrange the kitchen to continue service. 

“Okay,” Leon said over Matthew’s protests. He grabbed a clean dish towel and wrapped it tightly around Matthew’s hand, “Come on.”

“How did that even happen?” Leon asked as he drove them across town to the local hospital’s emergency room. 

“I looked away for a just second,” Matthew said in disbelief that it had happened. 

“I know,” Leon sighed. He’d had his share of cuts, burns, and knicks throughout the years. They all had. It wasn’t a matter of skill or experience, it was just a matter of concentration and Leon was pretty sure he’d been part of the reason for Matthew’s lapse in focus.

“I’m sorry,” Matthew said. 

“It’s alright,” Leon said and meant it, feeling slightly guilty that what had happened outside of work had contributed to Matthew’s lapse in concentration. 

Matthew’s good hand trembled from pain that was starting to set in and Leon instinctively reached out and grabbed it to steady him. “They’ll come back for you shortly I’m sure.”

“What a mess,” Matthew said, “I’m not great with blood.”

“You know I’m sorry about last night,” Leon said. 

Matthew laughed bitterly, “Yeah that much was clear.”

“I-”

“Matthew Tkachuk,” a nurse called and interrupted Leon.

“I’ll be here,” Leon said.

As promised, Leon waited in the sterile lounge for Matthew to return and when he did, it was with a thick bandage covering the stitches.

“All better?” Leon asked. 

“Yeah, though they told me that I should miss a couple of shifts,” Matthew said. 

“That’s fine,” Leon said, “Let me drive you back home.”

“Okay,” Matthew said without complaint. It was long after the service would have ended and just waiting in the emergency room had almost been more tiring than actually cooking. 

The ride back to Matthew’s apartment was silent and as Leon glanced over he noticed that Matthew was drifting off to sleep. 

“I’ll stay over, if that’s okay,” Leon said, “It’s late again and I don’t want to drive across town.” He didn’t mention that he wanted to be available in case Matthew needed something or his stitches ripped out. 

“That’s fine,” Matthew said, clearly exhausted. 

“Okay,” Leon said.

“And I’m sorry about earlier,” Matthew said, “I can handle rejection, and I know my behavior was unprofessional, so I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” 

“Let’s talk about this in the morning,” Leon said.

“Yeah,” Matthew said even though it sounded like the last thing he wanted. 


	5. Chapter 5

Leon headed to the kitchen after he woke up and grabbed a skillet and a few eggs from the refrigerator. Connor had texted him to check in on Matthew and knowing that Leon had had a late night at the emergency room he had offered to let Leon have the day off. 

Leon shot him back a text message saying that he’d be there but Matthew needed a couple of days off. 

Matthew came out of his bedroom a little while later and trudged out into the kitchen.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Leon asked.

Matthew shrugged and held his bandaged hand up as proof about what had happened last night. 

“The pain meds are wearing off,” Matthew said, “Feels like I cut myself on an $100 sharp knife.”

“Well, that will do it,” Leon said. He piled the scrambled eggs onto two plates and placed one in front of Matthew. “Can we talk Matthew?”

Matthew sighed but took a bite of his eggs, “Yeah.”

“Um, look, I like you,” Leon admitted, “I really do like you and I didn’t think I would but I do.”

“But…” Matthew waited for the other shoe to drop. 

“I mean it,” Leon said, “But I’m just as clueless about this as you and honestly it scares me.”

“Why?” Matthew asked.

“Because if this ends badly we’re going to be together, because I want things to be good between us, but we didn’t have the best start, because I haven’t done anything like this before,” Leon said. 

“Okay,” Matthew said, “But you want to be with me?”

“I want to try,” Leon said, “But I’m just worried.”

“Don’t you think I am too?” Matthew asked, “You’re the first guy that I’ve really let myself like since I started working, I’m nervous about dating a coworker but I like you. I like how you make me feel and the way that you believe in me, and I just really like you.”

“Connor’s okay with it,” Leon said, “I checked.”

“Okay,” Matthew said, “So where do we go from here?”

“Let’s take it slowly,” Leon said, “And promise to keep our relationship out of the kitchen.”

“Okay,” Matthew grinned. He leaned across the table and kissed Leon, reaching out with his one good hand to pull him closer. 

Leon smiled when they broke about but nodded at his plate of eggs. “Eat up before they get cold.”

“Yes, chef,” Matthew said with a smirk which earned him an eyeroll. 

“Oh by the way, Connor wants us to do a competition to win prize money for The Oiler,” Leon said. 

“Okay, is it a Food Network competition?” Matthew asked.

Leon laughed, “No, it’s just a little local thing, but the grand prize is $10,000.” 

“Is this a publicity thing?” Matthew asked.

“In part,” Leon admitted, “but we really need the money, too. Connor does his best to keep things out of the kitchen but it’s kind of become more urgent lately. He had a donor lined up, but it fell through for some reason.”

“So basically we have to win?” Matthew asked.

“Yeah,” Leon admitted, “We’re trying to keep morale up in the kitchen, but yeah, this is kind of the last idea we have.”

“We can do it,” Matthew said, “We’re not going to let The Oiler go under.” And somehow, Matthew said it with such conviction that Leon believed him.

Matthew’s absence in the kitchen created a blistering reality of how quickly the new chef had carved his place in the kitchen. Everyone inquired about how Matthew was doing and Leon was certain that Matthew had received his own text messages checking in on him. 

“He’ll be back in a few days,” Leon reassured everyone, “he’s okay, needed a couple of stitches, but we’ve all had our share of worse kitchen incidents.” That seemed to be what was necessary to calm everyone’s fears.

“Want to come over after work?” Matthew asked after he called after the third shift he’d missed. 

“Sure,” Leon said, “But I’m kind of tired and I’ll probably be no fun.”

“That’s okay, you’re no fun anyways,” Matthew teased.

“Great, thanks. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes,” Leon said. 

Matthew greeted Leon when he got to his apartment and dragged him inside. 

“What do you want to watch?” Matthew asked. 

“No food,” Leon said, “Anything else.” 

Matthew turned on a rerun of Jimmy Fallon and dragged Leon to the couch. 

“Fuck, I’m so tired of watching TV,” Matthew said, “All I’ve been doing is watching TV and reading cookbooks.”

Leon laughed and laid against Matthew, carefully avoiding his injured hand. 

“You’re actually kind of cute when you’re tired,” Matthew said. 

Leon faintly smiled at him, “I’m always cute.”

“Yeah,” Matthew agreed, “You are.”

“When you come back, did you want to cook the family meal?” Leon asked.

“You mean it?” Matthew asked.

“Yeah, you’re part of the team now, all the guys have been asking about you and have been worried so I thought you might want to cook for them,” Leon said, “I’ll help of course.”

Matthew sat upright and looked at Leon, “You’re serious?”

“Yeah, I mean if you don’t want to-”

“No, I do,” Matthew interrupted and kissed Leon, “And do you think you can handle being my sous chef?”

“I’m regretting this already,” Leon said. 

“It’s gonna be so great,” Matthew said and it was hard not to share in his excitement.

Matthew returned to the kitchen shortly thereafter. There were still some stitches in his hand, but he covered them up with a bandage and glove and was ready to be back. The time away from the kitchen made him excited and happy to be back and even though some of his movements were stiff and uncomfortable, it was as though he hadn’t missed a step. 

“Okay, so here’s what I was thinking of for the family meal,” Matthew said as he handed over a piece of paper to Leon when they were back at Leon’s apartment.

It was clearly modern american, simple enough, but the flavors sounded good and it wouldn’t take too long to make either. 

“This looks great, what about dessert?” Leon asked.

“I’ll have that taken care of,” Matthew promised. 

Leon made sure they had what they needed for the family meal and Matthew had given him a game plan of what to do. It was easy working together, carefully designated tasks to make sure the meal was ready in time.

Matthew beamed with pride as he presented it to the rest of the kitchen staff and Leon just watched with happiness at what Matthew had made. 

“I wanted to make this family meal as a thank you to you all. You’ve all really welcomed me here and have been so kind to me and really cared about me, especially after I cut my hand, and I really just wanted to thank you.”

Matthew explained the menu and then went in the back room and brought out a cake. 

“And then for dessert, I made a Black Forest cake.”

In terms of Black Forest cakes, it was a little sad. Leon didn’t have the heart to tell Matthew that it was actually a dessert from Baden-Wuerttemberg and that he’d only had it a few times in his life. It had been awhile since someone had cooked for him. It was so clearly made for Leon and Leon alone that the thoughtfulness overwhelmed him. 

“Thank you,” Leon said, feeling a lump in his throat and glancing over at Matthew. Matthew just looked at him fondly and out of the corner of Leon’s eye, he could see Connor gaping at him.

“You’re becoming soft,” Connor said after they’d finished the meal and were getting ready for service. 

Leon rolled his eyes, “It’s new.”

“He baked you a Black Forest cake,” Connor said.

“Yeah, he baked me a Black Forest cake.”


	6. Chapter 6

“VIP table fifteen,” Connor said. Their ears all perked up, their VIPs were usually country stars that Leon had never heard of. 

“Who is it?” Jujhar asked.

Connor sighed, “Just focus on pushing out the food and having a good service.”

When there was a moment, Connor pulled Leon aside, “Keith Tkachuk is here.”

“As in Michelin-starred Keith Tkachuk?” Leon asked. 

“As in Matthew’s father,” Connor said.

Leon sighed, “Should we tell him?”

“After service,” Connor said, “Let’s just focus on getting the food out.”

“Alright, VIP table, one salmon crudo, one mushroom risotto, and a medium rare steak with bernaise sauce,” Connor called off. 

“Can we meet the VIP?” Kailer asked and Leon froze.

“I don’t know,” Connor said, “Let’s just focus on pushing plates out.”

“Who are they?” Kailer pressed.

“I don’t give a shit,” Connor snapped and that halted the kitchen because Connor was stern but he rarely snapped, “Sorry, let’s just treat all guests like VIPs.”

“Okay,” Kailer said. He seemed to shrink in upon himself and Leon knew that there would be a sincere apology waiting for him the next day. 

Matthew glanced up at Leon curiously, sensing the obvious tension that had put Leon and Connor on edge but Leon just shook his head and focused on plating up some dishes. 

“Keith Tkachuk wants to come back and see everyone,” Gio whispered to Connor.

“He should know better than to ask that,” Connor said disapprovingly. 

“Should I tell him no?” Gio asked. 

“No,” Connor said, “Bring him back here but only for a few minutes.”

Gio returned a few minutes later with Keith Tkachuk following behind him. 

“Hello, Matthew,” Keith said and for a moment everything froze. Leon watched as a myriad of emotions flickered across Matthew’s face. He glanced over at Leon who just stared at the interaction. It was almost too private watching the interaction between Matthew and his father, even more so that Connor and Leon knew about the tense relationship the two of them had had and all of the negative press that Keith Tkachuk had been receiving lately. 

“Hi, dad,” Matthew replied, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you in your new restaurant and besides, I think we have a few things to discuss,” Keith said. 

“I have to finish service and then clean up,” Matthew said.

“I can wait,” Keith replied. 

“Okay, enjoy the rest of your meal,” Matthew said. 

“You okay?” Leon whispered as he checked in with Matthew on a rare occasion that there was a break in the action in the kitchen.

Matthew nodded, almost too quickly for Leon to believe him, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Leon sighed but knew that they couldn’t and shouldn’t discuss this in the kitchen. 

Matthew made it through service clearly preoccupied but they made it through nonetheless.

“I’m going to meet up with my father,” Matthew said, “So I probably won’t see you until tomorrow.”

“Can I walk you out?” Leon asked. 

“Sure,” Matthew said after they had finished for the night. 

Keith was waiting outside of the restaurant, waiting for his son to finish up his shift.

“Hey, nice to meet you, I’m Keith Tkachuk,” Keith said and reached out to greet Leon. 

“Leon Draisaitl,” Leon said as he shook Keith’s hand. 

“You cut your hand,” Keith said disapprovingly as he glanced at Matthew’s hand and Matthew’s face fell. Leon knew that Keith had not been immune to the dangers of working in a kitchen. They had all had their share of cuts and burns and Leon was certainly no exception, he was sure that Keith wasn’t either. 

“Yeah, uh, a little while ago,” Matthew said, “It’s mostly healed up anyways.” 

“I got an interesting call from an old friend of mine,” Keith said. 

Matthew stiffened next to Leon and Leon was pretty sure there was some family drama that he wasn’t privy to that was unfolding in front of him. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Leon asked.

Matthew shook his head, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Leon wondered if he should kiss Matthew goodbye, but he was assuming that was a conversation that Matthew hadn’t had with his father yet and so he just waved goodbye awkwardly as if he was just a regular colleague.

He texted Matthew when he got to his apartment, knowing that Matthew probably wouldn’t see it until he finished the conversation with his father. 

_ Feel free to come over if you need to. I’ll buzz you up anytime. _

He didn’t expect Matthew to take him oup on the offer, but he looked like he might need a friendly face after the nervous way that he had greeted his father. 

To Leon’s surprise, the bell to his apartment rang a little after three and he didn’t even hesitate to buzz Matthew up. 

“Hey,” Leon said sleepily when Matthew arrived outside his apartment.

“Sorry, I wasn’t going to come this late, but you offered, so…” Matthew said. 

“And I meant it, is everything okay?” Leon asked. 

“I just wanted to see you,” Matthew said as he collapsed into Leon, burying him into a hug. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Leon asked.

“I just want to sleep,” Matthew said.

“Okay,” Leon said. 

Matthew stripped down to his boxers and buried under the covers next to Leon, “Thanks for inviting me over.”

“I- I always want you here,” Leon said. 

Matthew kissed him goodnight and turned away to go to sleep. 

“Is your dad sticking around?” Leon asked.

“No,” Matthew said, “He was just here yesterday and he’s leaving today.”

“Do you want to talk about last night?” Leon asked.

“Nah, just dad stuff, you know,” Matthew said. And Leon didn’t know, but Matthew had shared pieces of his childhood and early career with Leon so he could only imagine what had happened last night.

“Okay,” Leon said, dropping the matter for the time being, “Maybe next time he’s here I could meet him, as your boyfriend.”

Matthew beamed at hearing the word, “Boyfriend?” 

“I mean, that’s what we are, right?”

“Yeah, it’s just that’s the first time you’ve called me that,” Matthew said.

“I mean, I’ve thought of you as my boyfriend you know since we started dating,” Leon said.

“Yeah,” Matthew smiled, “I like the sound of that.”

Connor sent them more details about the competition as it approached. They were to create a full three course meal with an appetizer, entree, and dessert and the most cohesive and technically executed menu would be featured in  _ The Albertan _ and win the grand prize. 

Leon had outlined a couple of ideas so far and run them past Matthew, but neither of them were particularly in love with the concept yet. Nevertheless, any time they would talk about it, Matthew would reassure Leon that they would win the money. 

“Can you get that?” Matthew asked from the shower, after Leon had stayed over, “I’ll call back in a moment.”

Leon picked up the phone, “Hello.”

“Hi, is Matthew Tkachuk available?” a woman’s friendly voice asked.

“I’m sorry, but he can call back in a few minutes. May I take a message?” Leon asked. 

“This is Sara from Peter Chiarelli’s office. I was calling to schedule a meeting with Matthew to discuss his restaurant.”

Leon’s mouth dried up, “Uh, sure, I’ll give him the message.”

“Who was that?” Matthew asked as he dried his hair off with a towel. 

Leon’s face must have betrayed him because Matthew hurried over to the bed and looked Leon directly in the eyes, reaching out to hold his hands, “Who was that?”

“Is there anything you want to tell me?” Leon asked coldly.

“No…” Matthew said, “What’s going on?”

“I should be asking you that?” Leon said, withdrawing from Matthew’s grip, “Do you want to tell me what you are doing with Peter Chiarelli?”

“Leon,” Matthew pleaded, “Let me explain.”

“What? What is there to explain? Are you not planning on using his money, the money that could save the restaurant to open your own restaurant and get ahead in your career?”

“It’s not like that,” Matthew said, he reached out for Leon’s hand, but Leon jerked it away from him.

“Don’t touch me,” Leon snapped, “Just answer me this, are you planning on leaving the restaurant to start your own with Chiarelli’s money?”

Matthew closed his eyes painfully, “Yes.”

“Fuck, I’m so stupid,” Leon scoffed and stood up to head out of the apartment.

“Please, just stay and we can talk about it,” Matthew said. 

“You are exactly who I thought you were,” Leon said, “I knew from day one you were just using The Oiler and Connor and myself to get ahead. Oh my god, was any of this even real? Were you just pretending to like me because I could help you get ahead.”

“No! No,” Matthew said, tears started to well up in his eyes, “Please, believe me. I l-”

“Don’t, don’t say it,” Leon said, “I’m so dumb and fuck you. We believed in you. Connor gave you the benefit of the doubt, I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and the rest of the kitchen, they love you, they care about you, I- I was right, we never should have brought you into the kitchen.”

“Leon, this is real,” Matthew begged, “You have made me so happy and even if we don’t work together we can still be together.”

“No, we can’t,” Leon said, “Not like this. You don’t care about anyone but yourself and your career.”

“I care about you, I care about Connor and The Oiler,” Matthew said.

“No, you don’t, because if you did, you wouldn’t be fucking us over,” Leon said. 

“I meant what I said, I came here for you,” Matthew said, “when we met, I saw someone who was in love with cooking, you were living your passion, but this is an opportunity that I can’t pass up. Peter Chiarelli is offering me my own restaurant, pretty much a blank check to create something I love instead of helping Connor realize his own dream. Don’t you know, this is what I worked for at _ Blue _ , this is what my dad always expected me to do.”

“You really are Keith Tkachuk’s son,” Leon spat.

“That’s not fair,” Matthew said. 

“Isn’t it?” Leon asked, “Look, at least have the courtesy of giving Connor time to find a replacement for you. We’ll be fine without you.”

“Are you firing me?” Matthew asked.

“I don’t have that power nor would I even if I did, but from here on out we just work together, that’s all,” Leon said.

“Please tell me how to make this right,” Matthew said, crying now, “Leon, I love you, and I never wanted to hurt you.” If Matthew had said that earlier, Leon would have been thrilled, but the words were tainted. 

“You have no idea how to be in a relationship or care about someone other than yourself,” Leon said. 

“At least let me help with the competition,” Matthew said. 

“And what? Sabotage it?” Leon asked, “I’ll ask Kailer or Jujhar to help, you’ve helped more than enough.” And as Leon left, above all the anger and hurt and betrayal, he was heartbroken.


	7. Chapter 7

Matthew tried to approach him in the kitchen, but Leon just poured over the menu for the night.

“Leon, can we talk?” Matthew pleaded.

“Does it have anything to do with work or service tonight?” Leon asked.

“You know what it’s about,” Matthew said.

“Then no, we can’t, maybe, though, you can talk about Peter Chiarelli about it,” Leon said. 

“Leon, come on,” Matthew begged, “Please just talk to me.”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Leon said. 

“Matthew, get back to work,” Connor said coolly and thankfully that was what Matthew needed to hear to go back to his workstation. 

“You ,know I didn’t care about you two dating so long as it didn’t interfere in the kitchen,” Connor said, “But now it’s interfering with work.”

“It won’t for long,” Leon said, “And besides, it’s not the fact that we dated that is causing this, it’s the fact that he hurt you and disregarded everyone’s hard work.”

“Other people have wanted to leave before,” Connor said, “I’ve been hurt by them before. You didn’t act this way, then.”

“But you didn’t believe in them the way that you believed in Matthew.”

“You care so much because he broke your heart,” Connor said knowingly.

“He showed me exactly who he was,” Leon said, “And now I’m here picking up the pieces and trying to save the restaurant alone.”

“You know, if the restaurant goes under, it’s not going to be your fault,” Connor said, “If you don’t win the competition, it doesn’t mean that you failed.”

“I’m going to win,” Leon said, “I promise.”

Kailer had agreed to join in the competition last minute and Leon was grateful for his company as they headed into the competition hall together. Kailer hadn’t asked what had happened to Matthew, but he had thankfully picked up on the change in the kitchen. 

“Are you ready for this?” Leon asked Kailer who resembled a deer in the headlights. 

Leon glanced over and saw that Matthew was there, with a man who looked like him standing by his side. “I didn’t know you were still participating,” Leon said.

“It was a last minute decision,” Matthew said. 

Leon frowned and they settled into an uncomfortable silence. 

“This is my brother, Brady,” Matthew introduced.

“Hi,” Brady said and Leon just looked at his outstretched hand cautiously, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“And I’m sure that you’ve heard about all of the mistakes I’ve made as well,” Leon said. 

“Rest assured, you aren’t the only one who has made mistakes,” Brady said pointedly towards Matthew who seemed to know what he was referencing and Leon knew that Brady had just become his favorite Tkachuk.

“I thought you should know I turned in my letter of resignation to Connor,” Matthew said. 

“I don’t care,” Leon said, “It was just a matter of time anyways.”

“Well, good luck,” Matthew said.

“Thanks,” Leon said coldly, “It was nice to meet you Brady.” 

If anything could go wrong, it did. Leon had planned a modern German menu, but Kailer was unfamiliar with the flavor profiles and the techniques that Matthew knew so Leon spent a great deal of his time explaining things to Kailer than he’d intended. He couldn’t fault Kailer. He was trying his hardest, he just didn't’ have the skill set or the knowledge that Leon had planned for. He’d taken his attention off of the stove for a moment to explain something to Kailer and his sauce had scorched. 

Leon’s heart sank as he saw the dishes that Matthew had made. He had created a European-inspired menu with sauces that just proved why Connor had hired him. His plates looked wonderful and Leon’s were just okay. And Matthew had made his Black Forest Cake. It looked better this time, more refined and frankly, grand-prize worthy. 

Leon knew immediately that they’d lost when he saw the judges reaction and his heart sank. It was a miracle that they’d won second place, but second place doesn’t win $10,000. Leon faked a smile as the judges shook his hand and gave him the consolation prize. It was painful to see them hand over the oversized check and take a photo with Matthew, but he’d earned it. 

“Congratulations, that will go a long way in opening up a new restaurant,” Leon said.

Brady looked at Matthew curiously and Matthew just jabbed him in the ribs.

“Thank you,” Matthew said, “I’m really glad we were able to compete again, even if it was under these conditions.”

“Well,” Leon shrugged, “I’m glad you feel that way.”

Kailer looked devastated at the loss and Leon pulled him in a side hug, “It’s okay, you have a long career ahead of you, kid.” It just wouldn’t be with  _ The Oiler _ . 

  
  


“I’m really sorry, Connor,” Leon said miserably the next day. He hadn’t been able to sleep all night knowing that they’d lost their last chance at saving  _ The Oiler _ .

“It’s okay,” Connor said.

“Fuck, how are we going to tell these guys that they are going to lose their jobs,” Leon said.

“No, I mean, it’s really okay,” Connor said, “We’re not going to have to shut down.”

“What?” Leon asked.

“A mysterious donor gave us $10,000 last night right after the competition was over,” Connor said, “Any idea who that was?”

“Matthew,” Leon swallowed thickly, “He just did that to absolve his guilt.”

“Come on, Leon,” Connor said, glaring at his friend, “You can’t actually believe that. I know that he hurt you but that man loves you. He would move heaven and earth to make you happy, do you think he gave up this money because he loves  _ The Oiler _ that much.”

“He’s leaving anyways,” Leon said.

“Only because he doesn’t think you want him here,” Connor said. 

“He’s starting his own restaurant,” Leon said. 

“He didn’t tell you?” Connor asked, “He turned down Chiarelli’s money.”

“What?”

“Yeah, he said he was very grateful, but he still had a lot to learn before starting his own restaurant and suggested that Chiarelli invest in established Edmonton restaurants. I have another meeting with him later this week to discuss reinvesting in  _ The Oiler _ .”

“Oh,” 

“Matthew fucked up. He knows he fucked up,” Connor said, “But he’s trying to make things right, and I know that if you let him leave and if you give up on your relationship when he so clearly has not, you will regret that for the rest of your life.”

Leon bit his lip. 

“At the very least go over to his apartment and tell him that I’m not accepting his letter of resignation,” Connor said, offering up the letter to Leon.

“Fine,” Leon said as he snatched it out of Connor’s hand. 

Leon pounded on the door to Matthew’s apartment, “Matthew, open up.”

“I was hoping I’d see you,” Brady said.

“Is Matthew here?” Leon asked. 

“He went to go get coffee,” Brady said, “but he’ll be back shortly, you can come on in.”

“What’s he planning on doing now that he’s not opening up his own restaurant?” 

“I don’t know,” Brady said, “Dad offered him a spot at Blue but I don’t want him to go back there.”

“Yeah, that’s not a good spot for him,” Leon agreed.

“Please don’t let that be an option for that, I know my brother fucked up,” Brady said, “But he really does love you and cares about  _ The Oiler _ .”

“I’m starting to see that,” Leon said. 

“Hey, I grabbed you a cappuccino-” Matthew said but cut himself off when he saw Leon standing in his apartment, “Hi.”

Brady grabbed the cup of coffee that Matthew held outstretched to him and excused himself, “I think you two have a lot to talk about.”

“I know what you did and I wanted to thank you,” Leon said, “You didn’t have to do that, any of it, and I’m just so grateful to you.”

“You’re welcome,” Matthew said. 

Leon just stood there awkwardly before Matthew cleared his throat. 

“Do you know the reason I won?” Matthew asked, and this was just like the Food Network Competition from before. 

“Because you are better than me,” Leon rolled his eyes.

“The only reason I won was because I was cooking for you,” Matthew said, “You’re an excellent cook when you think about Germany and cook with passion. The only thing that made me care about cooking anymore was you.” 

“We’re rejecting your letter of resignation, so, we expect to see you at work tomorrow,” Leon said, “You’ve already missed two shifts so don’t miss another one.”

Leon saw the corners of Matthew’s lips curl upwards into a hesitant smile. 

“And you have to do more family meals and apologize to the rest of the kitchen for being a dickhead and making Kailer sad,” Leon said. 

“I think I can agree to the terms of my employment,” Matthew said.

“And on a personal note, I’m really sorry for what I said to you,” Leon said, “It was cruel and unfair and I shouldn’t have said it so I’m sorry.”

“I really fucked us up and to be honest, I probably deserved worse. It kills me to know how you and Connor believed in me and I disregarded that for my own ambition,” Matthew said. 

“Did you mean it, when you said you loved me?” Leon asked. 

“I meant everything that I said,” Matthew said, “I love you.”

“Still?” Leon asked.

Matthew laughed, “It’s been a few days, you’re not someone easy to get over.”

“I love you, too,” Leon said, “for what it’s worth. I wouldn’t have been so hurt if I didn’t love you.”

Matthew cupped Leon’s face and kissed him, “I’m so sorry, I’m sorry that I hurt you and I’m sorry that I almost made  _ The Oiler _ close, but I want this, with you. You’ve helped me love cooking again and all I want is to be by your side, in the kitchen and out of it. If you’ll let me.”

“You made me a Black Forest Cake,” Leon said, “You pretty much told all of our colleagues that you loved me then and then with the check, and there’s only one that I want to cook next to me and wake up next to as well.”

Matthew grinned and kissed him again and again, “You are talking about me, right, and not Kailer because you looked like you had fun at the competition together,” he joked.

Leon rolled his eyes, “Too soon.”

_ The Albertan _

March 12, 2024

_ The Oiler _ alums and local culinary power couple Matthew Tkachuk and Leon Draisaitl have parted ways with their former restaurant and are set to launch their first restaurant  _ The Flame _ . The restaurant has already garnered attention from Peter Chiarelli, Michelin-starred chef Keith Tkachuk and has sparked excitement from many of their former colleagues at _ The Oiler _ . 

Connor McDavid, head chef of  _ The Oiler _ , expressed his excitement for the opening of the new restaurant on Instagram, even captioning the post with a request for a table on opening night. Given the long-standing history between the three and the way Tkachuk and Draisaitl left  _ The Oiler _ on a positive note, we’re sure they will be happy to oblige him. The couple most recently was featured on a Food Network Competition show where they won $25,000 to start their new restaurant and  _ The Flame _ is already being discussed in culinary circles for its modern German cuisine. 

Perhaps it’s unorthodox to mix business with pleasure but the couple seem unconcerned. When asked about mixing business with pleasure, Tkachuk laughed, “We’ve been cooking together for the past four years, it’s not going to change now. Leon made me love cooking again, more than I could ever imagine and I want to cook with him and for him.  _ The Flame  _ is our way of doing it.” We are eagerly anticipating the first reviews from the restaurants soft-opening but given their history, we’re certain that it will become an Edmonton establishment in no time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has commented, given kudos, and read this fic. I've loved writing it and I hope you have enjoying reading it as well. 2020 has been a shit year for so many people, but we're starting a new chapter in 2021. There's a lot more ahead in 2021, but I wish you all a happy, healthy start to the new year. 
> 
> I'm on tumblr @queenofbroadstreet if anyone ever wants to stop by and chat about our favorite enemies to lovers.


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